Explaining Flip-Flop On No-Fly Zone, Newt Flip-Flops On Air Power

Newt Gingrich was on Greta Van Susteren’s Fox News show attempting to explain why he was for a no-fly zone before he as against it. In the process, he changed his position on use of air power, now saying it isn’t sufficient. But that is the opposite of what he said two weeks ago. Think Progress has the compilation.

March 24:

GINGRICH: If they’re serious about protecting civilians, you can’t do that from the air. Gadaffi is going to use light infantry, he’s going to use his secret police. He’s going to be in the cities, he’s going to be inside buildings. Your not going to be able to do that with air power. This is a fundamental mistake. And I think is a typical politician’s over-reliance on air power.

March 7:

GINGRICH: All we have to say is that slaughtering your own citizens is unacceptable, and we’re intervening. And we don’t have to send troops, all we have to do is suppress his air force, which we can do in minutes. And then we have to say, publicly, that he is gone, that the military should switch sides now. … The fact there’s no more Libya air power, and the fact that the United States has come out decisively for replacing him, I suspect the military will dump him.